Nepal unrest: President to hold talks with Gen Z leader Sudan Gurung, Sushila Karki today

Amid divisions among Nepal’s ‘Gen Z’ groups about the country’s new leader and the governance system the country should follow, President Ram Chandra Paudel will hold talks with Hami Nepal leader Sudan Gurung and former Chief Justice Sushila Karki.

While Gurung gave the call for youth-led protests that brought out several thousands of youths on the streets of Nepal on Monday, Karki has emerged as a frontrunner to be the country’s interim leader. However, one of the youth groups withdrew support to Karki and instead proposed Kulman Ghising, a former Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), to be the country’s interim leader.

Gurung has arrived at Shital Niwas, the presidential palace in Kathmandu, for talks with Paudel, according to Nagarik newspaper.

The meeting between Karki and Paudel that was scheduled to held earlier in the morning has been postponed, the report said.

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The situation in Nepal remains fluid with divisions among various youth groups complicating ongoing talks. The Nepali media have reported that there is all-party consensus about Karki despite previous reports of disagreements, but differences still remain about the parliament’s fate and some constitutional issues need to be addressed.

For one, Article 132 of the Constitution of Nepal states that a judge cannot hold any other office. This bars Karki from being the interim prime minister or any other office for that matter. But reports about ongoing deliberations led by Paudel suggest that a workaround could be found to make way for the appointment.

Constitutional crisis complicates Karki’s appointment

Karki could be appointed as the interim prime minister as early as today, according to Kantipur.

The newspaper reported Om Prakash Aryal, who has been in consultations with Karki for several days, as saying that there will first be a meeting with the Paudel’s legal advisor, Senior Advocate Baburam Kunwar, and only after that will Karki have a decisive conversation with Paudel.

If things are agreed upon, Karki might possibly be sworn in as the head of the interim government’s council of ministers today itself, according to Aryal.

In addition to the constitution hurdle posed by Article 132, the question of parliament’s dissolution has also complicated ongoing talks.

While youth groups have called for the dissolution of the parliament, Paudel has stressed that the parliament is required to find the solution to the crisis, according to the newspaper.

Moreover, observers have flagged that the prime minister needs to be a member of the parliament. In the absence of the parliament, they have said that the appointment of an interim leader —whose very concept is not explicitly mentioned in the constitution— could lead to a constitutional crisis.

Meanwhile, youth groups have warned Paudel that if there demands are not meant, they would start a fast unto death, according to Nagarik.